12° FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE CINEMA GIOVANI
European Perspectives 19994 - Italy
Babylon: la paura è la migliore amica dell'uomo
by Guido Chiesa
It is summer in Turin abandoned factories, and the overhanging ghosts of the rich past of an industrial city. At 35 Francesco has not yet lost his will to rebel. He works in a factory, faithful to his "revolutionary" ideas, and he listens to hard rock. The most important thing in his life is Carla. The passion between them is not missing, but neither are the conflicts. During a trip to New York, Carla had a brief relationship with Charles, a hotel detective. This adventure represents an "alternative," while Francesco is convinced that this is the beginning of the end. In fact, when Charles decides to come to Italy things get complicated. Francesco cannot stand the weight of the presence of the other man, and so he nurtures the idea of killing his wife. When she discovers his husband's intentions, Carla disappears for several days. She sends her friend Gabrielle, a French student, to meet Charles at the airport. However, Francesco leads them to believe that he killed Carla and intends to kill Charles. Gabrielle and Charles can do nothing but work together. In reality, Francesco has designed a much more perverse plan that would throw the tour into a BabyIon.
Biography
film director
Guido Chiesa
Guido Chiesa (Turin, 1959) moves
to USA in 1983 where he works for Jim Jarmush, Amos Poe, Michael Cimino and
Nicolas Roeg. Back to Europe, in 1990 he directs his first long feature film,
Il caso Martello, winner of the Grolla d'Oro at the Mostra del Cinema in
Venice as best first work. His second long feature, Babylon, has won the
FIPRESCI prize at the Turin Film Festival. He has made some of the most
important historical documentaries in Italy, like: Partigiani, on the
memories and the meaning of Resistance in Italy; Nascita di una
democrazia, on the making of the Italian Constitution. In 2000, his Il
partigiano Johnny is screened at the Mostra d'Arte Cinematografica in
Venice.
FILMOGRAFIA
Give Me a
Spell (cm, 1985), Black Harvest (cm, 1986), Il caso Martello
(1991), Civiltà (cm, 1992), Il tempo dei sogni (cm, 1993),
Babylon (1994), Memorie da una fabbrica (1994), Torino in guerra:
1940-1945 (1995), 25 aprile: la memoria inquieta (1995), Quei
momenti eroici (1988-1995) (cm, 1995), Materiale resistente (1995,
co-regia Davide Ferrario), Rane culatelli & lucciole: la pianura di
Bertolucci (1996), Ritratti d'autore: i fratelli Taviani (1996),
Partigiani (1997, co-regia Davide Ferrario, Antonio Leotti, Daniele
Vicari), Petali di candore Marlene Kuntz '96-'97 (1997), Nascita di
una democrazia (1997), Volare - La grande trasformazione (1998),
Un giorno di fuoco (1998), Una questione privata. Vita di Beppe Fenoglio (1998), Non mi basta mai (1999/2000, co-regia Daniele Vicari), Il
partigiano Johnny (2000), Provini per un massacro (2000), Alice è
in paradiso (2002), Sono stati loro. 48 ore a Novi Ligure (doc.,
2003).
Cast
& Credits
Screenplay: Guido Chiesa, Antonio Leotti.
Director of photography: Gherardo Gossi.
Art director: Vera Castrovilli, Laura Mazza.
Editor: Anna Napoli.
Music: Giuseppe Napoli, Marlene Kuntz.
Sound: Mario laquone.
Cast: Paolo Lorimer (Francesco), Valeria Milillo (Carla), Sophie Bernhard (Gabrielle), Bill Sage (Charles), Andrea Prodan (Tonino).
Produzione e vendita all'estero: Brooklyn Films, via Vespucci 24, 00152, Roma, Italy, te[. +39657300494, fax +39657300520 / Palomar, via Silvio Pellico 24, 00195 Roma, Italy, tel. +33063251483, fax +330637517381.
Italian distribution: Mikado Film, via Vittor Pisani 12, Milano, Italy, tel. +3902-66711476, fax +39026671488.